Monday, September 20, 2010

Welcome to Cupcake Central's first storefront!

Hi Everyone! May I introduce you to our first Cupcake Central storefront located Shop 7/672 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn VIC, Australia!

Yes, I know I've been MIA for a while here and I did promise I would do my best to update you all during the process of opening up the shop. And I thought about it many times, to update my blog but I honestly have been too exhausted. To give you an insight on my typical day for the last 3 weeks - I wake up at 4am (sleep in till 5am on weekends) bake for about 8 hours, running around manically trying to serve if a rush period occurs, then clean up, then try to do orders online, as well as manage everything else such as custom orders, scheduling, stock ordering etc.

PHEW! Then I get home at about 9 or 10pm and sleep for about 5-6 hours and do it all again. It sounds crazy I know....but the thing about it all is...I LOVE IT. Yes, it does get extremely tiring but when I feel like I'm so exhausted that I can't do it anymore, I remind myself that I am truly living my dream.Can you believe it was only a short year ago when I set out on my journey alone to bake cupcakes for a living?

And now here I am, in my own, my very own cupcake store! And...

It's turned out more fantastic that I could ever imagine it to be.

Not only do we have the most amazing custom cupcake display that is taller than I am.

But we have some pretty awesome cupcake packaging as well. Custom designed and made in Australia.

My brother, Will is a great Barista and makes a mean soy latte (Bonsoy of course!) His latte's at 6.30am keeps me baking away until almost Midday. We've also been so so lucky to have been able to hire a fantastic Pastry Chef, Andy. Without him, I'd truly be a wreck in the kitchen. Boyfriend's that know nothing about baking should stay out of the kitchen or else you'll likely turn in to Gordon Ramsay. Anyway you can check out Andy's fantastic work here: http://andyfantastic.tmweb.com.au/

And here is my partner, boyfriend and biggest supporter, Tin. He's the one who's encouraged me, believed in me and stood by me. A lot of credit goes out to him for our first storefront because he's the one who's managed the project along the way, designed the most intricate details of our store, put so much thought about how it should look and feel, researched endlessly on the coffee, managed the finances, fixed problems and so much more. Even though we may bicker from time to time and have pet peeves with each other, at the end of the day, together our strengths and weaknesses complement each other and we're able to achieve so much more than one person could ever manage. Together, we will be moving this Company that is Cupcake Central to many more exciting places.

We hope that we're able to meet each and every one of you, if we haven't yet. We would love for you to see how we were able to hatch this dream and for all those people that are thinking about pursuing your own passion and impossible dream, stop thinking and just go for it. There's no such thing as failure, only progress. When I first set out to go out and do this, I had no idea how I would do it, yet here I am now. The little steps along the way may feel like forever but if you just keep going, you will get there. Believe in it, and you can do now wrong.

Although I'm living the dream now, there are so many more things I have to learn. To run a profitable and successful business takes a lot more than just knowing how to bake a good cupcake. But that's the challenge I'm prepared to take on. For me, it's never been about becoming a millionaire that made me want to set forth on this entrepreneurial journey but more so the idea of doing something positive in the world. Everyday I'm able to put smiles on people's faces. And I hope to be able to put smiles on faces in other ways too in future, in more philanthropic ways.

Well, I hope you enjoyed taking a look at some of the photos. As we get more processes in place & staff in the shop, it'll give me some more 'me' time again and I will update you all with some more news.

11 comments:

I like how you say it is your first shop front! Well done lovely, I simply can not wait to come and visit (I'm planning on doing so in the next few weeks). I can not wait to see where the next cupcake central pops up.You have come so far in one short year and you are such an inspiration for other business owners like me.Ali xx

MIA for very good reason! Holy moly Sheryl, this is truly amazing! I am soooo proud of you. Why oh why must you be all the way in AU. All the more reason to visit i know, and sorry I missed out on the grand opening. The store is stunning! What a great job you did, you and your bf. Hope you're proud, as you should be.

@Mel - Thanks dear, hope you're having fun on your trip. Oh how I dream of a holiday soon.

@Leti Thank you!!! Coming from a style guru like you, it means a lot. Tin has spent much work creating a cupcake store that is different from anything else out there. I have been meaning to write but somehow I always have a million of things to do now that I have a shop to look after..probably almost like having a baby! Hope to see you soon and if not I'm already planning a 'business' trip to NY hopefully at the end of this year. I can't wait!! xo

i stumbled upon your website because i am looking for packaging for my cupcakes. first of all...congrats on your business! your place is beautiful. i personally bake for fun. (dinner parties and for family and friends)...but i want to find a great box for cupcake travels to and from point a. to b. i'm in cleveland ohio usa...and was wondering if you could email me the contact info for where you purchased your boxes. my emial address is aimeekenik@gmail.com

i would be so happy to hear back from you! thanks a ton in advance! cheers!!!aimee

I accidentally came across this post while doing some cupcake research and I must say I am so ecstatic I did!

I live in Canada and am a young entrepreneur in the midst of opening up my own cupcake shop and definitely feel the stress of second doubting if I can do it or not, but your words definitely inspired me.

I absolutely love what you've done with your shop, it's beautiful! Congratulations on living out your dream!